10 automakers shack up in Detroit hotel to talk Takata airbags
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/recalls-tsbs/" rel="tag">Recalls</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/safety/" rel="tag">Safety</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/" rel="tag">BMW</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/chrysler/" rel="tag">Chrysler</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/ford/" rel="tag">Ford</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/gm/" rel="tag">GM</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/honda/" rel="tag">Honda</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/mazda/" rel="tag">Mazda</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/mitsubishi/" rel="tag">Mitsubishi</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/nissan/" rel="tag">Nissan</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/subaru/" rel="tag">Subaru</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/toyota/" rel="tag">Toyota</a></p><a href="http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/2014/12/11/carmakers-meet-air-bag-testing/20252629/"><img alt="JAPAN-US-AUTO-RECALL-TAKATA-REGULATE-AUTOMOBILE" data-caption="This picture taken on November 23, 2014 shows Japanese auto parts maker Takata's logo being displayed at an event in Yokohama, suburban Tokyo. Toyota said on November 27 the company is expanding a recall of cars with airbags made by auto parts maker Takata which have been linked to driver deaths. The world's biggest automaker said it would recall some 57,000 vehicles globally -- about 40,000 units in Japan and some 17,000 overseas -- while subsidiary Daihatsu would recall about 27,500 vehicles in Japan.Some 16 million vehicles from nearly a dozen automakers worldwide, also including Honda, BMW, Ford and General Motors, have been recalled over the problem. AFP PHOTO / Toru YAMANAKA (Photo credit should read TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)" data-credit="AFP/Getty Images" data-mep="614679" src="http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/GLOB/crop/3562x2365+117+0/resize/628x417!/format/jpg/quality/85/http://hss-prod.hss.aol.com/hss/storage/midas/79ceb5b040c6a007b2cc423ad 0d26d93/201184443/459640158.jpg" /></a><br />
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Since <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/takata/">Takata</a> has decided not to take the lead concerning potential issues with its airbag inflators, the automakers have. Perhaps that's unsurprising, since it's the automakers, not Takata, that will take a beating on the dealership floor if consumers decide its models are a health hazards. <em>The</em> <em>Detroit News</em> reports that <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/toyota/">Toyota</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/honda/">Honda</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/gm/">General Motors</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/ford/">Ford</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/chrysler/">Chrysler</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/mazda/">Mazda</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/">BMW</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/nissan/">Nissan</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/mitsubishi/">Mitsubishi</a> and <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/subaru/">Subaru</a> met in a hotel conference room near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport last week to sort out a way to understand the technical issues involved.<br />
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So far, faulty airbag inflators have been ruled the cause of five deaths and 50 injuries around the world, but neither Takata nor investigators understands exactly why the inflators are malfunctioning. The <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/nhtsa/">National Highway Traffic Safety Administration</a> recently asked Takata <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/12/02/takata-complies-nhtsa-national-airbag-recall/">to issue a national recall</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/12/03/takata-airbag-recall-not-national-against-nhtsa/">Takata declined</a>, citing a minuscule failure rate and the fact that it's still investigating the issue. Toyota and Honda then made <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/12/03/toyota-starts-takata-airbag-testing-consortium/">an industry-wide appeal</a> for "a coordinated, comprehensive testing program" that would pinpoint the problem inflators and get them replaced, and that's what the Detroit meeting was about.<br />
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Numerous issues, however, will make this a long row to hoe: simply getting the parts to replace the nearly 20 million inflators in cars recalled around the world so far - even <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/12/04/honda-new-supplier-autoliv-takata-inflator-recall/">working with other suppliers</a> - <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/11/24/parts-shortage-airbag-inflator-replacement-takes-two-years/">will take a years</a>, but more importantly, no one knows if the replacement inflators currently being installed will suffer the same issue. Answers will hopefully come quickly with Takata, the ten automakers and NHTSA all independently investigating the problem.<p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/12/14/10-automakers-talk-takata-airbag-recall/">10 automakers shack up in Detroit hotel to talk Takata airbags</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Sun, 14 Dec 2014 14:58:00 EST. Please see our <a href="/rss-term-of-use/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/12/14/10-automakers-talk-takata-airbag-recall/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/21115944/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2014/12/14/10-automakers-talk-takata-airbag-recall/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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